Fun With Forts
by Sanomo
Summary: Things are so much better with forts. Pearlmethyst. Lapidot


**Fun with Forts**

There laughs, some were cheery, while some were ancient, whichever they were they help paint a picture of innocence. Of childish games and wasted time.

Colorful cloths held in place by weighty things, such as stacks of board games, or the TV, even an inert wailing stone. They fall over the loft like a waterfall creating a circus tent in the living room. Couch cushions propped as the only line of defense (which surely made for some sore bottoms from sitting on such hard metal springs). A part between two blankets allows entrance. It looks dark and stuffy and rather unpleasant inside. Things move and shadows twist but nothing leaves. They are all content to be crammed inside the small space. A part of a blanket bulges round and large. It stretches the fabric and tugs on the weights above, threatening to topple them over and bring the fort crashing down.

"Be careful Lazuli!" A voice nervously said.

The bulge disappears. It is easy to picture that permanent frown deepening. For some reason it makes her happy, knowing that everyone is getting along; in their own ways.

Steel glints in the strong light of the sun, surface covered with sticky juices both red and translucent. The cutting board is a mess in the same way, as are her fingertips which delicately hold the outer shell as she parts it from its squishy insides, then castes the waste in a trashcan beside her hip.

Seeds stick to whatever they can find; including the apron Steven had given her. Meticulously, she picks them off as she sees them.

Another round of laughter, enough to draw her attention, enough to stir the blankets, enough to shake the houses foundation. Between the folds of the door there is the unmistakable sight of a taunting finger. A _little_ ruckus follows.

"Do you see how my superior mind has beaten him?" A pause, to which there comes no answer, or maybe Peridot was hoping for her to swoon over the apparent exploits. The tactics of her skill laid bare in loud detail, "I simply memorized the numbers already played. Then, with some considerable skill, I determined what cards would pop up next so that I may empty my hand before everyone else. _Im_ -pressive, Yes?"

Arrogance often got confused with proper sportsmanship.

The knife slowly cuts the pieces of watermelon in perfect little cubes. She faces away from the counter, sliding the blade between a stream of water. Red juices mix with the liquid and slips down the drain (out of sight, out of mind); a smile triumphant graces her lips.

"Peridot, stop cheating." Teeth can be heard grinding in a young boys mouth even through the heavy barrier of blankets.

"I am not cheating! I'm simply using math to win." Defends the other.

"That _IS_ cheating." A feminine voice says, devoid of any happiness.

"No, you're confused as to the definition of the word cheating, Lazuli. See..." the water bent upwards as if afraid of the knife's sharp blade, it zips out of the kitchen through the opening of the fort where a scream of bloody murder came not a second later. "WAS THAT NECESSARY!" She watched another trickle of water find its way out of the sink.

"Lapis," a young boy's voice says with pubescent crackling around the edges of his words, "you're getting my cards wet. We're only playing crazy eights not having a water fight."

With this outcry the woman in the kitchen speaks, "Please don't make a mess in there." She says with a stiffness in her neck; long nose rising haughtily.

The flap moves, and a ball of curly brown hair pops out attached to a sheepish smile, "Sorry Pearl." The boy says, looking back into the tent at the others caste in shadow.

Pearls smiles lovingly, "That's alright Steven-it's not _your_ fault anyway." A pointed shape moves nervously, she can see green hands fiddling.

A shoulder attached to a long slender neck leans over to look through the entrance of the fort, skin touched by the ambient light, highlighting its interesting blue color. Those eyes are still, impassive, but her lips turn up slightly. The teardrop gem between her shoulder blades gives a visible pulse of light and the water resumes its normal behavior of being drawn in the correct direction by gravity.

"Oh, Connie?" Pearl calls.

"Yes, Ma'am?" Curious eyes emerge.

"Did you remember to call your parents?" Pearl asks.

Those brown eyebrows tangle, a confused lip bites the other, "No Ma'am, I don't need to call them until dinner. My mom always likes me to say a prayer with her and dad before I eat; even if I'm out." The young girl strokes one of the straps on her suspender jeans thoughtfully. Her hand touches the bulge in her front pocket where she keeps her cell phone. "But-we won't be eating for a couple more hours' right?" Connie asks.

"Oh," Pearl turns her head back to the sink to hide her embarrassment, "why yes, of course not. It's only...I've almost finished with your snack." A quick change of subject to clear away her mistake. The clean knife is dried and but away in a drawer till it is needed again.

On strong tippy toes Pearl twirls about, not forgetting to pick up the tray of neatly sliced fruit. She glides over to the two still in the doorway of the fort. "Now be careful not to spill this in there," Pearl crouches low, sticking her nose just past the threshold. Her turquoise eyes lock with little green ones that give the tiniest of quivers. "Not a spill. Do you hear me?"

Peridot nods slowly, taking a bit to swallow the lump in her throat. "I-i-i-i-i won't. I swear." Her voice cracks on the e.

Lapis says nothing, she doesn't even look Pearls way, but when the plate has settled in the middle of their group Peridot offers her the first cube of watermelon, which she accepts. Fingers delicately squeeze the piece of fruit. True to her non-given word, not a drop is allowed to fall anywhere except on her tongue. A momentary burst of stickiness fizzles like a sparkler after another bite. When lapis had finished Peridot offered her another (a hopeful smile that pushed up her visor). Lapis declined. Not many earth foods were worth the effort to digest, something with more flavor, with more-sweetness. Lapis looks out of the flap of the fort at the freezer. She licks her lips silently.

The chatter from the hostile game of cards has been replaced with the semi-quiet sounds of chewing. Lips smack and faces are stuffed. Seeds stick to youthful cheeks and those of gem alike. Knowing that _she_ was the one to provide them with nourishment was gratifying for Pearl. It showed in her face, in the way her toes curled as she walked on them, how her bow seemed to twirl behind her just that little bit extra as she wiped down the counter.

There was an extra plate of watermelon, which almost equaled in size to the one she had made for Steven and his guests; maybe there were even a few squares more. Pearl placed it on the elevated counter in front of the stool closest to her, gave it a nervous quarter turn thinking that it just looked better from that angle, more appealing to anyone who might happen to wander by. Juice perspires from the squares, releasing the soft scent of the melon into the air.

Pearl tapped her fingers on the counter. Glanced towards the temple door, which was a blinding white, but also lifeless at the moment.

The dish rag was dirty, so, she cleaned it. Running it through the sink and giving it a healthy squeeze before neatly folding it and putting it next to the sponge (which needed some adjusting, and, probably a rinse anyway). As she rid any remnants of soap from the sponge Pearl glanced over her shoulder at the plate. Still waiting on the counter; silent company. A breeze slipped through the thin wire mesh of the door. Hinges creaked not from anyone entering, but from the invisible push.

The screened windows allowed in the sounds of the ocean, and the seat by them looked oh so inviting. Wrapping her hands around her shin, Pearl drew the leg close while letting the other dangle to the floor. The back of her foot touched the cool wood. A shiver went to her gem.

Pearl peered out the window, flicking her eyes from the steps to the empty chair straddling sun and shadow. The beach stretched further than the ocean. As if held at bay by an invisible dam it struggled to push towards the house, to just touch it, but no, the ocean was not allowed past a point.

Toes bent at painful angles as she stretched muscles that didn't need it. She felt the fabric of her shoe shrink and the tightness of her foot nearly folding around itself. The steps were empty, and the chair was empty, the house, was not empty. Laughter spilt like milk on a counter. Gushing, unending, and oh so joyful to Pearls ears. Then, her fingers pricked her calf hard enough to bruise it.

 _How long will these days last,_ she wondered, _how long do we have until homeworld's return._ But that wasn't true. Homeworld was already here. Pearl feels a tightness take hold of her throat. Suddenly she's choking on smoke and dirt and the fragments of other gems. There is violence around her. Panic, but not hesitance. Steel meets steel. Gem meets gem. Some make it; while others will never be able to be whole again. Smashed to pieces in horrible ways; with weapons, or fists, or feet, or any rock a soldier can pull out of the ground.

Thoughts leaves her, the world leaves her, as Pearls eyes lose focus. Glittering gem shards, thousands, below them, all safe in one giant bubble. Hard to imagine, losing one's sense of identity like that, to not know who you were, what kind of gem you used to be, to still be conscious but never truly, or fully, aware.

Home found its way back. Wooden beams and all the amenities a boy could want. The kitchenware clean and neatly tucked away in drawers and cupboards. Beside her, the fridge buzzes itself awake. Skin goes a near translucent white as Pearl lets go. She steadies herself with a breath, unneeded to live, but appreciated at the moment.

The chair on the deck is still void of a butt.

Pearl furrows her brow, nose, and lips as she looks to the counter where the plate still sits untouched. The watermelon was beginning to lose its color starting at the top. She follows a drop as it bleeds down the treat, collecting into a red tinted moat around the watermelons base. A light hum squeezes itself out the window screen this time. Pale eyelids fall to tuck her into contentment. Her trap would work; it was only a matter of time.

Hushed whispers, unfriendly words, there is a ruckus going on between two opposing sides. Arguments are made, and defended, or deterred.

 _Now what could this be about._ Pearl stretches back till her arms go taught. Nose cocking sideways as she tries to peek through the forts door.

Hands gesture wildly. Those fingers are jittering, mouth flapping. Peridot's hair (as pointy as ever) cuts the air as it shakes back and forth. "No no NO!" The blankets quiver from her voice. So small, yet so booming. It is the petulance above all else that makes Pearl roll her eyes and scoff. "This is our time together. I will not let it be intruded upon by her!" The tip of a green finger touches the barrier between the fort and the room it is built within.

Steven shuffles closer upon his knees, "Peridot, that's not fair. Pearl has as much a right to be included as you, or lapis." Steven says, the need to convince the other gem filling his voice.

The jam to his biscuit (as they weirdly put it), Connie backs him up, "Yeah, we're a team." That ferocity makes Pearl smile.

 _That's my pupil._ Pride was not solely a human trait.

Pearl could imagine the small technician crossing her arms from that distinctive huff, like a bull readying to charge, Peridot was simmering herself till she could think of a retort.

However, it was drained the moment that Lapis spoke; completely unimpressed by the others attitude. She...hesitated, momentarily, before laying a hand on the others shoulder. The contact drew a strangled eap from Peridot. Flinching under such a touch she was unprepared to receive. Teeth nervously clicked, as a weird warmth flushed within.

From the window Pearl notices the signs; it was hard not to. Hands slick with perspiration slid against one another. A stiffening of the posture, the neckline of Peridots jumper was pulled to a more respectable position as her shoulders tried to touch her ears. A faint burst of green light momentarily illuminates their shadows across the blankets surface.

The two children gasp in wonder, Connie's verbally overtaking Stevens. The wonderment gushes in her voice as she asks, "What was that? Can all gems do that?" Pearl was sure that Connie was looking to Steven, who probably shrugs unsurely.

The lapse in judgment on Peridots part is rolled over by Lapis, "I think you're just mad Pearl might end your winning streak." Was that the making of a laugh in her voice? Or was Pearl not hearing it right because of all the interference from the fleecy shielding?

"Argh," Peridot extracts her shoulder from Lapis's hand, "Pearl might be an excellent engineer as well as good at many other things, and, although she might provide-some entertainment for me...I just don't think it would be _fun_ for the rest of you if we brought in another player of that caliber."

"You mean she's better than you?"

Oh, she was good at riling the other up. Indeed she was. Maybe they weren't so different. Certainly Lapis shared the more irksome qualities of her personality with Amethyst, and Peridot...the gem was very useful when it came to helping with the design for the drill.

"I would crush her Lazuli. In the game of course. Physically doing so would be rude."

Pearl rolls her eyes, unknowingly to her, so did everyone else.

Lapis's scoff was challenging, and moody, while she made a point to the group that the gem had trouble crushing a grape. Tough to defend against such an accusation, when your fingers were behaving more like freshly cooked angel hair, they struggled to pick up the piece of watermelon.

Even with the sounds of the ocean Pearl could pick up Peridot's rebuke of the slippery fruit. Blankets rustled, as tiny feet pattered on the wood floor. Peridot made her way with a stiff stride into the kitchen where she got a fork. That point at the tip of her hair fit so perfectly through the triangular entrance to the fort. Oddly satisfying to some part within Pearl, who enjoyed when things fit into place.

A quick movement outside drew Pearl's attention. Unconsciously slipping on a playful smile as she peeked out the window. Sentences along the lines of "Where have you been" or "Do you know what time it is?" (even though Pearl didn't own a watch). She wanted to convey just how disappointed she was that _she_ had been away all day without checking in, or letting anyone know, letting her know, that _she_ had gone out. Only-it was a seagull looking back. Sharp claws cling to the railing. Those beady eyes as upset with Pearl as she was with it. The seagull's beak split open as it gave a cry. Wings spreading before it disappeared on a wind.

A chin meets the back of a hand, "Good riddance." Pearl says to the empty deck, an aggravated chill running along her back like a hamster on a wheel. In the moment she hadn't noticed that someone had come to stand beside her.

Curious eyes leaned over her as they looked out the window. A perpetual smile, so endearing, so much like his mother, yet after so long a time, so much his own.

"Did you need anything Steven?" Pearl asked, she wiped a black seed off his cheek, and even though there wasn't another one there Pearl rubbed her thumb along it for an extra turn; still so supple and chubby and young.

From his feet (which rocked on their heels) to his eyes (shinning brighter than the sun in the sky), the boy was the living embodiment of joy. To see him so carefree made Pearls gem swell. That face, she wouldn't let anyone take that smile away. _A renegade Pearl who fights to keep little boys happy,_ Pearl laughed under her breath at the absurdity with which her thoughts had taken as of late. Little by little her values had begun to shift. Before it had been for what _Rose_ had wanted, now, it was for who _she_ wanted.

Her hands twist as Pearl fights the urge to grab Steven by his waist and pull him into her lap. To just...keep him close, forever, and then some.

"Pearl?" Steven felt the strength in the hand on him, it quivered into the tips of those long fingers. Usually so calm otherwise, and, on the outside they neither trembled nor moved. Yet, by the way Pearls hand was laid upon his, Steven knew, as he always does, as anyone who had spent so long together would.

The hand went up and down in a kind pat, "It's alright." She said, withdrawing her touch, "it's not very polite to leave your guests." Pearl waved him back into the fort yet not before Steven gave her one last look as he pulled back the flap.

"Do you want to play cards with us?" His cheeks wobble as Steven chanced a glance inside to check on all his guests. Connie had her legs tangled in her arms. Lapis sat on her dress, elbows out to the sides as her hands dangled gauchely between her legs. The gems gaze seemed scrutinizing as she watched Peridot lick all the remains of their treat from her fingers. A low groan in her throat. Irritation? Was what it sounded like, but very hard to distinguish if this was what she wanted them to know, or she was hiding something more underneath.

Pearl shook her head indicating she was fine where she was. It did after all, look cramped already inside. Their limbs knitted to each other in the tiny space.

Steven wiped his forehead just steeping back into the fort. Heavy blankets barricaded their body heat within.

As soon as Steven had returned, so to have the whispers, although, quieter than before, so not even Pearls sensitive hearing couldn't pick out their exchanges. She trained one eye on the fort and one towards the deck. While sneaky things were stirring in one place, the other was devoid of habitation. Not even a pesky seagull.

Shoulders loose, yet ready to tense at a moment's notice; as Pearl had taught her how to carry herself. _Even in times of peace one must be ready for battle._ Such is the curse of the warrior. Ever vigilant, always aware. Peace was a false moniker. Long white bandages tightened against a forearm as Connie threaded her fingers through her hair. The action neither nervous nor threatening-causal, it left the gem ignorant for a moment that this young girl could actually be the most competent sword fighter she had ever trained; some day that is, Pearl needed to remind herself it would only happen if Connie choose to continue the pursuit. After all, she was considered young to be training in the ways of the knight; by modern societal norms that is.

Connie stopped combing her tangle free hair to ask, "Ma'am." So polite that Pearl wouldn't have minded the cavities.

Pearl couldn't hide the chuckle in her words, "Yes, Connie?" Such a lovely girl that it touches the insecure parts of Pearls gem, those little thoughts that cause her very little worry, but manifest much more around her pupil, and how she interacts with Steven. She knows those looks (is sure that is what they must have appeared like on her face), the hidden glances, wide, admiring eyes. Different from the admiration Steven shows Pearl. It is a love, more than what their family can offer. The kind like she had before, and now.

That hooked brown nose ruffles, still unused to the idea of not having glasses to adjust anymore. "I was hoping...we were hoping-Steven and I that is, if you could come play cards with us. Uh, it's not very fun playing with Peridot." Even though the girl was trying to whisper her name, at the drop of it, a head peeks out of the flap with a shout for their attention.

"It's not my fault I'm so good." The arrogant shrug was paired with a raised, daring, eyebrow.

Connie stiffens, not at being caught, but because of the way Pearl's eyes seem to darken, to lose all that sweet sensibility, and achieve something sharper than Connie's training sword. Pearls jaw tightens eerily quiet, without the clicking of teeth or pop of bones. Nothing moves except for the faint wind that pushes on a curl of hair against her cheek.

Peridot retreats back into the fort.

Yet there is another stir, a blue hand pushes aside the blanket. Lapis, with a glare as cold as the ocean in the Bering Sea. A dare, or a warning; again it is hard to tell, especially when her mouth is broken by a small grin. The cover falls back into place like a flimsy wooden gate.

That serious face dissolves, unblocking the damn holding the air in Connie's lungs. She gives her chest a pat.

"Sorry, Connie," Pearl starts, turning back to the open window, "I'll have to pass. Thank you for the invitation."

Connie wasn't upset, not even dejected as evidenced by the way she rushed back to the fort; it was as if she had simply done her duty. The prefect knight. Which was unfortunately a concept Pearl was struggling to reform; she guessed the knight's duties, as had the times, should change too. Including some of the rules. This planet was a never-ending source of change. Even she had to change, once in a while, but not _too_ often otherwise she'd have a constant headache from all the stress. Her gem had hurt for days when she had reformed after the-training accident with Steven.

Languorous fingers found the back of her head. They traveled up the curve of hair. Touching the tip and making it spring as it was pulled back a little. Pearl pressed a little more till she felt the hard skin hidden under her coral colored hair. There was a spot just under the fault line of the point. A secret kept for the longest time. So very long indeed. A special place reserved only for Rose. Where those powerful hands would hold her, so softly, when they kissed. Pearl touched the spot. A shiver started in her shoulders, and ended with a tingle in her toes.

An unfortunate struggle had started. A shifting image on the television screen of her brain. From big pink lips, to chapped purple. Her hair was a beautiful nest of curls one minute, the next, it was a mess of split ends. The eyes always stayed the same even if the color changed, they still held nothing but love.

Pearl bit her lip. Letting go and returning her hand to her lap where it traced the stitching in the cushion between her legs; following the flow of the line work. The bumps were hard and tickled the skin as she dragged her finger along them. Faces gone from behind her eyes. A set of stairs replaced them. Empty stairs with no one to use them. An empty chair with no one to sit in it. Pearl sighed. Closed her eyes, and pictured the face once more. Purple skin, purple eyes (again, nothing but love, with a little mischief on the side), and a wide toothy grin, which by the way she ate should have looked like a rotted fence. Still...Pearl laid her hand over the star imprinted over her chest, gave it a pat, then leaned back upon the cushion till her back was cradled in the window frame. She looked at the uneventful view

 **. . .**

There were few pieces left, what constituted a watermelon, if it could be called such, more like the torn off scraps of an animal carcass. However, they were under a strict watch. Green eyes gauged everyone's level of interest in what remained of the snack.

Slight fingernails picked at the edges of playing cards, as Lapis blew a huff. Was it supposed to come off as irritated or bored? Whatever case it may be, Peridot was sure she was not interested in ingesting anymore of their treat. _She barely took the piece I offered her,_ Peridot grumbled both in her mind and upon her bottom lip, pinching it between her teeth.

As blue as the deepest most darkest, and dare she imagine, treacherous parts of the ocean, Lapis's eyes catch hers and it near makes Peridots gem alight again. Lapis could hide her true intentions well with her body language, but nothing could hide in eyes as reflective as a mirror. She can see what the other gem wants, or...at least, thinks she does. She's sure. Definitely. Positively. About fifty/fifty...maybe seventy/thirty.

Peridot stabs at the last pieces of watermelon on the plate, eats them hurriedly, then wipes the stickiness that dribbled out of her mouth onto the back of her hand then onto her leotard, leaving a nice little stain on her thigh.

Lapis felt herself frown while looking at that stain. The muscles in her face straining to pull at the corners of those lips that wish to remain neutral. Her hands played with the hem of her dress. Folding the fabric over itself, and over, and over...and over. Voices bounce off her ears. Happy giggles were part of a conversation Lapis found very hard to engage in. To-want, to engage in. She didn't know Connie. Didn't care to know Connie. But Connie knew Steven. So what? Others knew Steven as well (The Crystal Gems), and she didn't want to interact with them. Connie was polite, where as the gems held themselves in a way that showed they still perceive her as a threat. Lapis was unsure how to feel about Steven's _other_ friend yet.

This did make it easier to sit in quiet while the world around her moved and talked and laughed at Stevens jokes. They could be funny-actually-pretty funny. Lapis felt the swell in her cheeks. Yeah, Steven was funny. Hard to admit, but he had a way with jokes. Or he had a way with Lapis. That soothing...aura, yeah, there was certainly something about Steven Universe for sure.

Others, on the other hand, elicited feeling Lapis would rather hide when she heard Peridot struggling to get Steven's attention. Calling over and over till she was heard. Each shout brought a line to Lapis's _usually_ smooth forehead. Her eyebrows inched like worms, fuzzy worms, lower over her eyes till they were nestled in loathing.

Neon green fingers nervously clasped each other for comfort. Yet undeterred, Peridot continued on. "Let's start a new game shall we?" Peridot said to Steven and Connie. Eyes nervously drawn to Lapis who had her thumbs pinched in her hands, toes curling in much the same way. The curve of her face pulled to a point on her chin, and further past that.

Steven and Connie exchange a furtive glance while Peridot is distracted with picking apart the other gems behavior. Hoping to strip away the glass reflecting what Lapis wanted them to see, rather than what she actually wanted.

The two youngest of the group however, only saw what Lapis wanted them too. Those pinched eyes said that she wanted no more to do with this game.

"Uh-I think we should do something else." Steven looked to Connie for help.

"What about a board game instead?" She suggested, unsure of what Steven's new _friends_ might enjoy. Did alien space rocks have board games too? That was a question hard for Connie to ask because she didn't know if it was rude or not to ask. Although Peridot liked to answer any question posed...Lapis didn't seem interested in talking to anyone but Steven.

Shoulders tensed along with the muscles around the gem in that slender back. Soft and supple and unblemished blue skin.

"No, I want to play cards!" Peridot feared that Lapis was ready to make a run for it. She wasn't about to let that happen. Desperate, she offered a compromise to the other gem, "We could play each other." The little gem said with hand outstretched. Hoping to be the anchor to keep the other from fleeing.

Those legs, which had lifted slightly, now sagged back to the ground. "Pfft, what's the point?" Lapis began as she scratched behind her ear, "you're just going to beat me anyway." The point, that Lapis was failing to make, was that she actually did want to play again. Problem being, a part of her brain was holding her back. A fear that she would have a whole lot of...fun? Even if she were going to lose again anyway.

Those lips, often nibbled raw, frowned. Peridots hair lost a few luxes of sheen too. Its pointed tip slouches forward. A nervous groan purred in her chest. "W-What if we have Pearl join us!"

"I thought you didn't want Pearl to join our game?" Connie astutely said, young and naive, she didn't understand Peridots strategy, was unable to pick up her subtle tactics. Sacrifices such as ones pride had to be made. The bigger picture, the larger goal, the end result. They were the strongest team. Would be...the best pair; better than Garnet even? Or, _at least_ , Amethyst and Pearl.

Peridot gave a short laugh, "That was _sooo_ five minutes ago. I..." Face stretched, Peridot spoke through her teeth, "would be delighted if Pearl were to join us." A smile made of delicate glass, which could shatter with a mild touch.

There comes a silence only when the guilty party knows they have indeed been easily figured out. That as her eyes bounce from each of their faces; Peridot knows that the lie was never to of been believed.

"When I asked Pearl she said she didn't want to." Steven had crestfallen from the rejection.

Connie laid a hand on his shoulder, "I asked too. I don't think she's up for it."

"She has to play-has too. How can she be in a _Mood_? I've seen her sing over a pile of dishes."

"Peridot, Pearl doesn't have to do anything. It's her choice. If she doesn't want to join us then we can't force her."

Doe and brown, Connie admires Stevens's determination to stick up for his guardian. While that hook like nose caught onto their conversation, "Why don't you ask her if she wants to play with us?" A logical proposal, if utterly misjudged. Who was this friend of Steven's? Peridot would have thought he would keep more competent companions.

"She won't say yes to me! She barely tolerates my presence. Which is impossible, how could anyone not love me-Peridot?" Even with the low hanging roof above their heads, Peridots short reach couldn't even make it half way. "No-it has to be one of you two."

"But she already said no to us." Steven reminded.

Teeth grind against each other. Her palms clamp around her feet. Elbows locked painfully straight. Peridot felt a strange pressure within her chest. The weight of her gloom. This plan was not working. If she cannot aid Lapis in having a good time, then how was she going increase her standing with her? _This is becoming raaa-ther frustrating._ Indeed it was. Why did these kinds of things, these...relationships, was the word that Garnet had used to describe what she was looking to establish with Lapis. What Peridot really meant when she talked about Percy and Pierre; apparently, whatever that meant. She assumed that _relation-shipping_ was the word used on this planet to describe a truly powerful partnership. Not just the fact that the pair had the best complimentary traits. There was another factor at play. Beyond the physical, and not even mental. This was a science that Peridot didn't know about: Love. Hard to quantify, or ponder because of its intangibility.

Mirror blue eyes reflected the green of her skin. A frown, but not the usual one when Peridot did something Lapis found obnoxious. This was hard to figure out. Again, one of those emotional things she was discovering. Disappointment, with her? No, that was usually noticeable by the sunken eyes. That hallowing of her voice, or the tense muscles in that stringy neck. Picturing that made Peridot's gem pop with another flash.

"Ouch, Peridot. Please stop doing that. You're hurting my eyes." Steven ground the spots out of his vision.

"My mom says things like that are bad for your vision. It could cause permanent damage to our eyes." Always compounding the facts of Peridots misdeeds, Connie made another comment about not wanting to have to go back to wearing glasses, or what Peridot called vision enhancers (which were tucked away back at the barn). They had been really interesting to the gem when Connie showed them off, Peridot held onto them the entire day. Not wearing them, just kept them tucked down her front while occasionally pulling them out only to open them, fold them, then tuck them back in. _I'm never going to use them again_ , Connie had reasoned, and they didn't even have the lenses anymore, so her parents shouldn't be to mad if they find out she gave them away (which Peridot had really hoped Connie would give them to her).

Like a bruised apple Peridots cheeks flush. The humiliation clouding her thoughts, while she twisted her hands into pretzels. Her stuttering was not so much deafened by the nice comfy material the walls were made of. In fact, it seems to help keep the strident sound inside the fort.

This unfortunate and embarrassing episode, of which Peridot was the sole star, had unknowingly intruded upon someone's nap time.

Her hair, with its purple tint, was in bad shape _before_ she decided to take a nap. Curled like a cat near the end of the L shaped sofa, and as much out of everyone's way as she could be to avoid this; Amethyst awoke with a grumpy snarl. Puffy lips pulled down to expose teeth with pieces of food hiding between them. Eye drooping down her languorous face, she brushed her bangs which reveal the other in a similar state.

A canary pounces upon the cat with a chirp. "Amethyst!" Peridots limbs are stiff and prod her painfully.

"Yo dude. Personal space. Remember Peri? We talked about this." Amethyst huffs at the hands touching her thighs, a little too high to not draw jealous eyes. The skin jiggles as Peridot pushes herself away with a squeak that operates on a whole new frequency, yet just as ear splittingly annoying. Amethyst winces, digs out the sound echoing inside her ear, only to find an unhealthy buildup of wax instead.

The gruesome wax disappears, where? Well, that's the part which makes Connie nervous where she puts her hands. Years of exposure to the crimes of germs have put the fear her mother had hoped to cultivate within her daughter. Keep them scared, keep them safe. A fine parenting lesson Mrs. Maheswaran had glossed from her readings on the subject of child rearing.

Yes, speaking of making sure your child doesn't grow into a brat. The air grew thick, unnoticeable to the younger children, who were unfamiliar with this kind of feeling. Ah, to be young, very young, very very very young, compared to everyone else's age who was occupying the fort at the moment. They spoke of ancient wisdom, a thousand years more than Amethyst own eyes could. Of dark times, and even darker still than she could imagine after that. Amethyst felt the spit inside her mouth try to crawl out. Drawn to those stiff, shriveled, shoulders. All bone, no muscle, yet all powerful under the right circumstances, as Pearl might have tried to explain during one of their very few training sessions. Before _them_ , before Steven, during those first hundred years when she had come to join their group, whom were struggling to find a place to live out their lives in peace on the (at the time) freshly scarred planet. They were all so reluctant to answer any of the questions she had about the war. Pearl still refuses to talk about it. Growing cold, and distant, keeping away from Amethyst for days to avoid any resurgence of talk upon the subject.

Laughter was the way Amethyst found how to best to combat jealousy. Those mirrored eyes narrow. Tongue twisting inside her cheek. Lapis's hair stood almost like the hairs upon a feral cats back; ready for a fight. Still, she continued to laugh, boisterously, face wetting hard.

"Peri, calm down. I'm a just kidding girl." Amethyst loops a flabby arm around the gems pencil neck. Parts of them touch, and when they did, Amethyst felt the soda she had ingested hours ago swirling inside her stomach. Searching for a way out. Amethyst burped from the indigestion, causing Peridot to fan the rotting smell away from her nose.

"You were...joking with me?" Peridot inquired naively; the tort of her mouth between a deep frown and a cooperative smile.

"A little. But seriously-don't touch me unless I want you too." Amethyst gives a much harder burp before she has to shove the gem towards that grouchy face Lapis is pulling.

The bodily function, repulsive, yet found comical by Connie and Steven, who laugh as the gem rubs her gut. That gurgling feeling, once Peridot wasn't attached to her anymore, began to diminish ever so slowly. She was going to have indigestion for hours more after.

Amethyst fixed her lip in a way that tried to convey as little gratitude as could be. _Thanks a lot water brat_ , she hoped the message got through to the sullen gem.

"So," picking at an end of frayed hair which looked almost like a snapped piece of rope, "what's all the hub-bub about?" Not so much out of interest as she wanted answers for being rudely woken. This would determine the kind of punishment they would receive. _Maybe I'll seal the door and leave them one of my smelly surprises. Oh, to bad I didn't have any burritos._

A finger stood to attention as Peridot cleared her throat, it was loud, it was nasally, and it was _very_ irritating.

 _Why she got to be almost as toffee-nosed as P? Except, geez, the way Pearl does it kinda gets my gem going. Eh, till that mouth starts blabbing. Yeesh._

While Amethysts mind, and ears, were busy. Peridot was intensively drawing an over complicated picture with too many convoluted words and not enough with getting straight to the point. That ridiculous hair flopping back and forth made Amethyst wonder, if she were to loop a string around her feet maybe Peri'd get some decent hang time with a good gust of wind.

"Yo, I'm out." Amethyst said abruptly, before crawling towards the exit.

Flabbergasted, Peridot wrung her hands. "But-but," Her buts were drowned in light as the small stuffy space was flooded. Everyone recoiled from the bright touch.

"Later P-dot. Steven. _Connieee,_ remember what I said _guuuurl_." A teasing tone laced by the memory of a conversation prior (both private, and not for anyone else's ears but the two of them); Amethyst gave a wink to accompany her giddy laugh. The backlight highlighted the girl's face, which was going off like a big red firecracker. And no matter how fun it would be to hint further at what their talk had been about, Amethyst was no snitch. Vidalia always said they'd get poofed.

With that, the rest of the group was left to whatever it is that they were doing prior, Amethyst reasoned the nerds would just get to nerdy for her cool shoes anyway.

Joints popped like rocks in a tumbler. Amethyst held her arms over her head to try to work the kinks out of her sleepy body. Hips shake side to side. _Gotta work out all them knots._ Amethyst finishes her stretches when her growling stomach decides to make a scene; even if it still felt like she were a human having gotten off a very horrifying roller coaster. _Wonder what Steven's got leftover in the fridge?_ Her strides are short, so she doesn't have to take too much time to come to a halt when her name is called.

Legs all a tangle with knees out to the side like big flapping bird wings. The book in her lap has a peeling cover and looked like a few moths had gotten to the pages.

"What'cha got there?" Amethyst asks as she comes to the bench by the window. Those cushions felt awfully nice on her rear, and even though she had just gotten up, Amethyst felt the drawback to dreamland. Thoughts of getting a snack forgotten, as something, or _someone_ , more...appetizing has presented herself.

The book was tilted in her favor. An eerily jolly old woman hid dark desires behind wielded knitting needles. Not to mention the big read letters about learning how to knit looked kind of runny, almost like blood.

"I'm learning how to knit." Big old smile that went from cheek to cheek. Pearl taps her fingers on the cover causing another small sliver to peel off onto the floor.

Amethyst snorts, it is hoggish and aggravating, "Geez, P. Don't be gettin to rebellious on me. I don't know if I can handle all..." a gesture from head to toe of the gem sitting happily in her seat by the window, "...this. I mean knitting, come on. That's some hard core stuff right there." The finger wags stiffly, tempting Pearl to grab it and twist.

What the proper gem does instead, is harrumph and turn her long nose up at the others poke.

"Chill, I'm joking." Amethyst rests her surprisingly soft palms on a very boney knee. _It's like an emaciated turkey leg. I really should get her to eat._ An actually thoughtful remark about her partner, showing concern for her well being, yet also cruel that she would consider trying to have Pearl put any sort of what the gem called mush (Pearl's slang for food) into her mouth.

"Yes-well-you shouldn't make fun of other people's hobbies. I don't insult that collection of junk in your room."

Amethyst shakes a finger, "Hey that's my stuff you're talkin 'bout. I got some one of a kind collectables in those stacks."

"I wouldn't call broken furniture and snow globes collectables Amethyst."

"Some of that stuff is primo oldies (Pearl comments about them also being moldy). Someone out there would appreciate it."

"Only you." Pearl says before she immerses herself back into her studies. A second read through was always important, this was the fourth, but Pearl wanted to make sure she had the theory down before she went to trials. She had all the tools she would need: thread, and needles. What was left was a need for action...Pearl just _needed_ to make sure she had the right stitching pattern for her sweater first. That was the most important part; a successful stitch held everything together. And she wouldn't leave her poor Steven to suffer at the hands of the elements because she couldn't bother to double check herself.

The cushion sunk low, as chubby, forceful, arms pulled her legs open like they were mere cardboard gates on a children's make-believe castle. Pearl lost her page when the book was upended onto the floor, where it lands with a **thunk**. A warm tush presses into her; Amethyst fills the space and then some.

"Really?" Pearl asks as she picks the book up. A few pages have suffered bent corners. Which Pearl takes the time to meticulously smooth out. Although the damage is permanent at this point, with the age of the book, the paper had lost all its flexibility.

Purple tinted hair is warm, to warm with the sun still out. It covers Pearl from chest to thigh. She should be disgusted by the amount of grease she can feel, yet, maybe the smell was somewhat pleasant. Only for the fact that out of the multitude of which wafted from that dirty head there was one as fresh as a spring flower in a garden. _Steven,_ Pearl can't help the sigh as she squeezes the smell closer. Able to sift through any of the unnecessary ones with ease, till all she felt, till all she surrounded herself with was that heavenly scent.

That short spine wiggles like a worm on a hook, feeling the pointed tip of a nose prod her. Amethyst nudges into it, "Hey, don't go gettin all weird on me." As she hears the sharp inhale, sounding not so desperate as it was needy instead.

The book with its peeling cover is laid in Amethyst's ample lap. Pearls legs scoop her smaller body closer. Pages whiz by at a fevering flicker of words. A pressure on Amethysts skull tilts her head forward so Pearl might have a better view of the page.

Juicy fingers skulk under the cover of the book. They tingle with energy, mischievous and ready. Before they could do any harm, however, they suddenly find themselves trapped. A tisk from the mouth residing in her hair.

"I'm reading Amethyst." Pearl gave a nip into the back of that skull, instant regret when she consumes a mouth full of hair. A dainty spit pops the strands out, where they weave back into the rest of the nest.

Amethyst decides to make herself comfy, leaning back into a stiff chest that refuses to give against her weight. Things take on a calm atmosphere. The sky swims by as the ocean lays stagnate, lazy, just like the gem in Pearls lap. "Read me a story, P." She slurs her words as if she were inebriated.

A quick answer, simple, even for the gems declining wakefulness to understand: No.

"Lame." Yet Amethyst doesn't try to leave. Her spot chosen, she was staying put till she got the boot.

A page is turned so whisper quiet that there was room for a one man mouse band to jam. The sun was making shadow puppets out of the lighthouse in one long black stroke across a beach littered with holes gouged out by training. Smokey Quartz was getting in as much practice as possible, to the point that the fusion had even become known by name down at The Big Donut.

Many things brought happiness to Pearl. Her love of cleaning, and tea to name a few. Yet the way the edges of her lips turned upward. How they elevated at the thought, not born of jealousy from this new fusion, but love. Love for two of the three important people in her life.

Amethyst felt the puff of a laugh part her hair, "What's got you crackin' up?" The touch made her quake to the very core of her gem. Probing hands at her belly. Massaging overtop her clothes. It-was-thrilling. Heat pooling in her cheeks and especially violent where Pearl was touching. Kneading the flesh, hard enough to draw out a gush of unneeded air; Amethyst didn't want it to stop because of a little gas in her belly. Lips to warm cheek, when they meet it causes a sharp pulse of purple light. Steady, throbbing, and very noticeable.

"What are they doing out there?" Curiosity took hold of what made up most of the Peridots thoughts. Fingers pinching her chin, as lime green eyes narrow at the flashes of purple near the edges of the forts opening.

The children's laughter is nervous, as Connie and Steven try to steer the conversation away from any outside goings on. Shiny things such as fumbling words to pull the gems attention away.

"I-i think it's your turn?" Connie said, tangling her hair around a finger. She pulls tightly till she felt a sharp pain in her head.

Steven bobs his head, while looking at the board laid out before him. Being choosey about his decision was not helping at the moment, for that was an opportunity given for Peridot to crawl closer to what had captured her curiosity.

 _Oh man, what do I do? She's going to ruin Pearl and Amethyst's moment alone,_ Stevens brain screams at him to do something before the naive gem could ruin what Steven reasons is more likely a tender moment happening between his two guardians, rather than the obvious possibility that the two could be squabbling instead. He didn't hear any yelling, so that made him hope it was the romantic choice instead.

"Yes yes yes play on without me for a minute, I just want to see..." That green hand had only touched the sheet when it is swallowed by cold blue fingers.

Unruly hair shakes a silent response. Pinched lips and level brows betray Lapis's annoyance. She can feel that tiny hand grow sweaty from the limited time of contact.

"You're not old enough yet."

"I might not be as old as you Lazuli. But I am perfectly capable of handling any situation presented to me." A weak tug, along with a lack of interest in safe guarding the youthful gems innocence, leads to Peridots freedom.

Steven and Connie hid far enough back so as not to be seen.

"They're gone?" Peridot said confused, as she looked back over her shoulder.

Lapis rested her chin on the green gems shoulder so that she could survey the room. Just out of the corner of her eye she saw the fading light from one of the gems on the temple door going dead.

"It was probably for the best. They shouldn't be doing that out in the open." Blue hair was fluffed, made unkempt, but held Peridots eye.

"Doing what?" Peridot asked, words blew on the others skin making something stir towards the back of Lapis's body, but not quite in that tear drop rock on her back; near enough though.

 **. . .**

After all had calmed, after Steven and his friend had had their meal, after they were tucked into their sleeping bags by a fussy Pearl, and the lights were extinguished so that they might be able to chase dreams without distraction, did Lapis and Peridot retire back to their barn.

The un-oiled rollers squeal as the heavy barn doors open. With a moist brow Peridot waves Lapis inside. Courteous, even though Lapis didn't want to be shown such manners; didn't feel she had earned them yet. By the light of the moon, which struggled to reach them in its waxing form, Peridot found the extension cord and plugged it in. Like glowing flakes of feathered snow the strings of lights wound up the supports, across every beam, and even looped outside and around the silo leaning like the Tower of Pisa out of the side of the barn.

Shoulders back, posture relaxed, Peridot walked the room at ease. Something that was growing ever more common and easy a feeling to slip into now that she concluded her stay on earth was to be permanent, without fear, without cause to worry if the command would be passed down to have her shattered for any sort of insignificant behavior outside the norm. This was what they talked about, what it meant to be a crystal gem, freedom. To do, to be, to feel however you wanted.

Inside the dark waters a semi human shape floats by on the current; all noodle limbs with none of the defining characteristics. Peridot smiled as she watches the stuffed toy being swept around. Hand touching the glass, she could feel the temperature change. It made her skin prickle.

Another reflection, somewhat somber with hints of mischief, Peridot turned to Lapis and said, "I think the fish might be getting hungry again." Flummoxed mouths at the glass, big old eyes and wiggling plump bodies shake from side to side.

Lips rattled by a breath before Lapis lets out her opinion, "They ate this morning."

"Can't you see they're obviously hungry again?"

"You're going to make them fat."

Peridot struggles up the latter, all stumpy feet and little grip strength, but from the top of the platform she can loom over Lapis with a little more personification and power, "there still growing. Like most things on this planet they need to constantly ingest nutrients otherwise they will expire. Do you want them to expire, Lazuli?" There is a small hatch that hangs crookedly on the wall. When opened the sounds of running water are allowed to fill the room with a tumbling echo. Peridot takes a mug she had found and scoops up a cups worth of feed from a bag with a picture of a fish jumping out of the water and bright sunbeams bursting from its body. Peridot hoped that didn't mean it would cause the fish to eventually explode.

"That one's got something coming out of its butt." A blue finger touches the glass. Lapis can feel the motion of the water. With ease she could take control. Move it to her will, but she let go far before that. Because she did not think Peridot would like her messing with the fish.

"Heh heh heh." Peridot is coming down the latter, soon to join Lapis's side once more. She looks to where Lapis is pointing. Her laugh grows. "Heh heh heh, I know right?" She makes a ribbing motion, but her elbow never connects out of respect for Lapis's personal space. "I can't believe these life forms have such horribly inefficient bodies. Why would they want to expel nutrients? I mean, shouldn't they save them for later. Then they wouldn't have to eat so much."

They both bask in laughter like it was a drug.

A mementos amount of joy garnered when the fish begin to attack the pellets with enthusiastic shamelessness. They crash into one another, scrambling for the food. A few wait till it sinks to the bottom before scrounging through the gravel. Their fins flick and steer them about. All black body, this one had a very squishy head, almost like its brain were exposed, bouncing along the bottom like a tumble weed as it tried to get its fill.

This made the two laugh till Peridot had to grab her sides to keep that feeling of poofing from actually happening, while Lapis devolved into piggish snorts. Having to turn her back to hide how much her happiness showed, while dabbing at her eyes to rid them of moisture.

The room was alight with more than just the glow of the lights strung about. Meep morts by the truck load filled every corner; having also begun to spill into the surrounding outside area as well. The floor, although cluttered, had very little dust. Yes, there was mud, but that was confined to one specific place and served a purpose.

Edges wrinkled, and chipped, yet the leaf still stood stiff and proud. The first, the only gift Lapis ever thought she actually enjoyed getting, ever. That object was a sobering reminder that finally brought her laughter under control.

With her silence, Peridot decided it was time for a distraction, "Want to watch camp pinning hearts?" A smile so nervous that it had her legs nearly buckling. Sometimes Lapis was up for watching a few episodes; or seasons. Other times the gem secluded herself. Never straying far, Peridot was sure of this (also without Steven around she didn't know spying was rude). Lapis only ever went as far as the warp pad. There she'd wait for Steven. Sometimes he came, while sometimes Peridot found herself being questioned as to why she seemed so out of breath upon the blue gems return.

"I was training with my powers." Valid, an easy lie that was believable; Peridot hoped.

Water was drawn into a pair of messy wings. "I have another idea." Peridot found herself lifted into the air suddenly. A dropping feeling in the middle of her body. The trip was quick, yet still left a mark of happiness on her face. Lapis rarely gave rides.

Lights along the outer perimeter of the truck bed highlighted tinted blue cheeks. Lapis tries to play it off with cool bravado. A wrist flicks the air as she reveals her hand, specifically, what she has in it.

"Where did you get those?" Peridot asks as she settles into her assigned spot at Lapis's left side.

"I got them from Steven's house." Lapis said, trying to remember how the boy had shuffled the deck. Fingers lively, but confused as to the motions. A few cards slipped out of her hands.

There was a lot Peridot did want to say. _Did_ Lapis know that Pearl would have both their gems if she found out they had stolen something of Steven's? Or worse, make them sit through a lecture that was bound to have lots of charts, and-or-possibly singing. _I should take them back...later._ That is, after they had gotten their fill of playing. _Pearl wouldn't notice if I were to slip them back into the house anyhow. I can be very cunning. After all, I was the one who lured Jasper into a false sense of security before defeating her; Amethyst and Steven assisted very well with my plans._

Under the glow of the strings of lights, and the loud groaning of the pumps as they siphoned water from the make shift lake into the silo, Lapis began to deal the cards.

 **The End**


End file.
